CNC Marks Fifth Year with CNL Job Analysis Study
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL®) Certification Agency Marks Fifth Year
with Job Analysis Study and Revised Exam
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 3, 2011 – The Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC) proudly announces the fifth anniversary of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Certification Examination in conjunction with the release of the new CNL job analysis study. The CNL Certification Exam was piloted November 2006 to January 2007. To date, more than 1,700 individuals have earned the CNL credential.
The CNL is an emerging nursing role developed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in collaboration with leaders from the education and practice arenas. CNLs are prepared in master’s degree programs to oversee the care coordination for patients, assess risks, develop quality improvement strategies, facilitate team communication, and implement evidence-base solutions at the unit level. Students graduating from CNL programs are encouraged to complete their role preparation by pursuing certification through the CNC. To date, nearly 100 schools of nursing offer the CNL degree program.
CNL certification is a mark of excellence that lets employers, patients, and colleagues know that the CNL possesses the requisite knowledge and skills to practice in this unique capacity. The CNL Certification Exam will be based upon the new CNL job analysis currently under development and will be offered in a multiple choice format in April 2012. According to Tracy Lofty, MSA, CAE, CNC’s Director: “The job analysis establishes the link between the exam and basic competency performance, which will help us ensure that certified CNLs are ready to practice to the full extent of the education and training.”
A full-scale job analysis study by the CNC, in collaboration with Schroeder Measurement Technologies, Inc., commenced in May 2011. The study included an online survey instrument that described the performance activities (tasks) and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required of a competent certified CNL. More than 200 CNLs have completed the survey. Based upon the results, the CNC determined the content for the revised CNL certification exam scheduled to launch next April.
Findings of the 2011 CNL Job Analysis report will be made available on CNC’s website and broadly disseminated in December 2011. For more information, contact CNC Director Tracy Lofty at tlofty@aacn.nche.edu or go to www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl.
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The Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC) is an autonomous arm of the AACN and is responsible for the management of the CNL Certification Program. CNC promotes high quality patient care through the certification of qualified individuals. www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for university and four-year college education programs in nursing. Representing more than 670 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide, AACN's educational, research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs work to establish quality standards for bachelor's- and graduate-degree nursing education, assist deans and directors to implement those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research, and practice. www.aacn.nche.edu.
CONTACT:
Robert Rosseter, 202-463-6930, ext. 231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
